Loyalty
by Fridgy da Squidgy
Summary: When Callingjay, the son of Gorsestar of AshClan, befriends someone he shouldn't have, will his loyalty to his Clan be put to the test? The story is hopefully going to be much better than the summary makes it sound like. x3


Callingjay ran blindly through the snow-covered forest, stumbling over roots and slipping on the icy ground. Angry tears ripped down the gray toms face, freezing on his whiskers. _It wasn't fair!_ Mental and physical exhaustion finally hitting him, he collapsed into a tangle of dry ivy vines. Shaking with a mixture of rage, hurt and freezing cold he puffed out his fur for warmth.

_Again. It'd happened again._

Bitter hisses died in the air around him. Callingjay was too weak to put any effort into hissing loudly enough to be heard. Why bother, anyway? It wasn't like anyone was around. And if anyone was, it wasn't like they'd even care. He'd already been marked as a cry baby. As someone who overreacted to anything that didn't go his way. No one gave a pile of mouse-dung as to whether or not he was okay anymore. Well, he wasn't. And if any of those mouse-brained cats had to deal with what he did, maybe they'd get why he was like this.

For the umpteenth time, Gorsestar had turned a simple suggestion into a huge argument and another explanation as to why his only living son was a failure. All he'd done was suggest hunting in the Twoleg-place. He hadn't said that everyone should go out and eat the food twolegs put out for stray cats. He hadn't suggested anything that was breaking the warrior code. But that was apparently exactly what his mouse-brained father had done. With all the times that any idea he'd came up with had been turned down, Callingjay supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. But with every cat in the Clan practically skin and bones, he'd expected at least some consideration. It wasn't too horrible of an idea, was it? No stray cat would be willing to attack a group of warriors, even if they were ragged and you could see their bones sticking out from their pelts. Warriors were feared. Every cat around here knew they wouldn't be afraid to stick their claws into the fur of any cat who made themselves into a threat. Besides, nearly every cat in the twoleg-place nearby was a kittypet. Those wimpy things were afraid of anything.

But Callingjay knew it wasn't the idea that was bad. It was that it'd been him that had suggested it. He was sure Gorsestar would have considered it had it been any other warrior proposing the idea. He was sure they'd at least be given the chance to explain all they had in mind. Callingjay, though? Not worth a moment of his time, unless it was a moment spent yelling at him what a shame he was to his clan. He supposed he should be used to it. It'd been going on since he was just an apprentice. Since the dogs had attacked on the day of his assessment, all his father had to say about him was bad. Callingjay sniffed quietly, then shook his head. He had to stop thinking about that day. He had to.

A sudden crackle shattered the near silence of the icy forest. Callingjay immediately froze up, ears swiveling to find the source of the noise. Maybe it was prey. Maybe he could catch whatever it was and bring it back to camp and his father wouldn't hate him anymore. The tom nearly let out a small laugh at his pathetic hope but a second crackling noise silenced him. He turned to face the noise. Even if bringing back food wouldn't make his father like him, at least he'd be doing good for the Clan.

It was with a mixture of disappointment and anger that he realized that it was a kittypet that had been making the noise. Shock hit him when he realized how close he was to the fence that separated Clan territory from the twoleg place.

"Are you alright?" Despite the fact it was a kittypet trespassing on Clan territory, there was a lot of confidence in his voice. The cat wasn't even trying to conceal himself, though, being that he was pure black and standing in the snow, it was probably impossible.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Callingjay meowed in response, surprise into speaking.

The kittypet looked at Callingjay as if he was an idiot. "Are you deaf? I asked if you were okay. Do you Clan cats speak another language or something?"

Callingjay's jaw dropped, and he stood up angrily. The…the insolence of the cat. He _knew_ that he was talking to a Clan cat and yet he was speaking with such disdain. There was no fear or anything like it in his voice. "No, we don't." He snapped, "And I heard you loud and clear. I just don't tend to make a habit of talking to kittypets."

"Oooh, aren't you _so_ special? Being a Clan cat makes you so much better, doesn't it?" The kittypet trotted closer, seemingly uncaring about the fact he was walking ever deeper into Clan territory, and stared at Callingjay, scrutinizing him. "You consider us inferior when you don't seem to even be competent enough to feed yourself."

Callingjay was far too shocked to react with any sort of attack. In the back of his mind he figured he should be diving at the kittypet, claws unsheathed and teeth bared, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. The tom opened his mouth indignantly, desperately groping for an appropriate retort to that comment. He shut it as he realized how true it was, though he figured that a kittypet shouldn't be speaking. Realizing he had lost, and honestly not caring too much, Callingjay stepped out of the ivy and walked towards the cat. Now with amusement, he noticed the cat hadn't shied away like most did when any warrior came anywhere near them. "Y'know, for someone who seemed concerned at my well-being a moment ago, you pretty easily took to offending me."

The kittypet shrugged, "You never answered."

Callingjay stared at him with a look of something like awe. "If you really want to know, no, I'm not fine. Actually, being that I'm talking to you instead of chasing you out of here yowling, I'm starting to think I'm he complete opposite of fine." Callingjay was surprised that those words had come from his mouth. He'd never really spoke about anything relatively like that before about himself. And to a kittypet, nonetheless! Of course, no one had ever asked before.

The kittypet beckoned Callingjay towards him with his tail. "Come, tell Loki what's wrong." His voice had a slightly mocking feel, but there was also something genuine about it. Callingjay found himself walking towards the cat and sitting in front of him.

"Well…"

* * *

And so ends chapter one. Read and review? :D

I'm a bit out of practice with writing fanfiction and it's been a while since the last time I read a Warriors book so any critique would be greatly appreciated.


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